1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to corrugated boxes for shipping goods and, more specifically, to a corrugated regular slotted carton (RSC) shipping box which is readily convertible to a container for displaying the goods shipped therewithin, as well as to a method of making the same.
2. Background Art
Regular slotted carton (“RSC”) boxes have been known in the art of shipping containers for many years. The RSC box is a highly economical shipping container, due to the fact that there is very little manufacturing waste. Furthermore, due to its rectangular shape, the RSC box is well suited to shipping goods via cargo container, truck, train, or any other means of transport in which efficient use of space is a priority. As a result, RSC boxes are widely used for shipping and storing many different types of goods.
The RSC box is formed from a single rectangular blank, typically of corrugated paperboard, and comprises four rectangular side panels, each having associated upper and lower flaps, along with a smaller overlap panel adjacent to one of the side panels. In order to articulate such a carton from a rectangular blank, first four crush folds are made parallel to the depth of the box, to define the four side panels. Next, two crush folds are made parallel to the length of the box, located at a distance equal to half the width of the box, to define the upper and lower flaps. Then, slots are cut out between each of the adjacent upper and lower flaps, in order to permit the flaps to be folded inward to form the top and bottom of the box. Next, the box is articulated by folding along the crush folds, so that the side panels are disposed at right angles to one another and the overlap panel overlaps a portion of the non-adjacent side panel. A suitable adhesive is used to adhere the overlap panel to the non-adjacent side panel. Finally, the top and bottom flaps are folded inward, first the flaps associated with the shorter sides of the box, followed by the flaps associated with the longer side, thereby forming top and bottom sides. The flaps are then joined by any desired means, such as tape, adhesive, staples, etc., to close the top and bottom of the box. Typically, the bottom side is closed first, the desired goods are then inserted into the box, and the top side is then closed as well. However, the box may instead be articulated around the goods themselves, in which case both the top and bottom can be closed simultaneously.
One significant disadvantage of the RSC box, however, is the fact that such boxes are not well suited for use as display containers in a retail environment. This is due to the fact that the goods within opened RSC boxes are not visible, other than from the top, unless a portion of one or more side panels is first separated from the box, by means of cutting or tearing. Not only does this require additional effort on the part of the retailer, it also tends to result in an unattractive display container having rough, uneven edges, which can be unsightly in the retail environment.
As a result, goods shipped in an RSC box are typically removed from the box upon arrival at the vending location and placed on shelves or into other containers for display, with the box then simply being discarded. This results in both a significant expenditure of time on the part of the retailer in transferring the goods from the shipping boxes to the display environment, as well as added expense in the form of shelving or display bins for such goods.
A further disadvantage of the RSC box is that the corrugated materials typically used in forming such containers are not well-adapted for displaying high-impact graphics thereon. As a result, when such containers are used to store and display goods in a retail environment, for example in warehouse stores where shipping containers are often placed directly on the sales floor, the potential of providing high-impact sales copy or advertising on such containers is simply not feasible.
A number of prior art containers have addressed the issue of conversion from a shipping container to a display container, for example, those containers disclosed by Imhoff, U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,430; Kuhn et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,982; and Leftwich et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,872. However, none of these prior art containers disclose the use of a standard RSC box which is easily and readily converted to a display container. Rather, these prior art containers all require a plurality of blanks having specialized structures, which are not readily adapted for other uses apart from the disclosed inventions. Accordingly, companies currently producing RSC boxes would be required to incur additional tooling and machine costs to begin producing such containers. Moreover, none of these containers address the issue of providing for high-impact graphics in association with a conventional RSC box formed from corrugated paperboard.
One container that has attempted to address some of these disadvantages is currently distributed by the Packaging Corporation of America. This container is formed from a blank similar to that of a standard RSC box, but having an additional, integral fifth panel, which panel includes upper, middle and lower portions. The fifth panel is adapted such that, when the box is articulated, the lower portion overlaps the front panel, and the middle and upper portions overlap the front panel top flap. The fifth panel further includes a zipper-type separation member separating the middle and upper portions, which, along with a perforation defining the edge between the fifth panel and the adjacent side panel, permits separation and removal of the lower and middle portions of the fifth panel from the remainder of the box. Additionally, a small breakaway panel is formed by a line of weakness within a portion of the front panel of the box, while an adjacent portion of the front panel and front panel upper flap are completely cut out of the container blank prior to assembly to form an aperture.
Upon articulation of the box, the four side panels are joined together in the manner of a conventional RSC box, while the fifth panel is overlaid the front panel and front panel upper flap, with the portion of the fifth panel overlying the breakaway panel being adhered thereto by means of a suitable adhesive. Additionally, the upper portion of the fifth panel is adhered to the portion of the front panel upper flap lying directly therebeneath. The user may convert the box to a display container by (a) pulling upwardly on the separation member to separate the lower and middle portions of the fifth panel from the upper portion, and then (b) pulling outwardly on the lower portion of the fifth panel to separate the perforation joining the fifth panel to the box itself, thereby separating the attached breakaway panel from the front panel of the box. This exposes the aperture located within the box front panel and associated upper flap, thereby permitting access to the goods contained within the box, without the unsightly rough edges typically associated with cutting or tearing away a portion of a conventional RSC box.
However, there are also certain disadvantages associated with the Packaging Corporation of America box. First, the box requires a special blank having five side panels, rather than the standard four-panel blank associated with a conventional RSC box, thus resulting in added tooling and manufacture costs associated with producing such a non-standard blank. Moreover, the fact that a portion of the front panel and associated upper flap are cut out of the blank prior to articulation means that the fifth panel must serve the additional purpose of forming a structural portion of the box itself. As a result of these limitations, the manufacturer of such a box is required to use the same material for both the RSC box itself and the associated fifth panel.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a conventional RSC shipping container which, upon reaching its destination, can quickly and easily be converted into an attractive display container for the goods contained therein, without unsightly rough edges. It would further be desirable to provide such a box which can be converted to a display container without the need to manually cut away a portion of the box side panels. Such a container would allow the vendor to use the shipping container as an attractive display container, with a minimal amount of effort needed to transform the container for display.
It would also be desirable to provide an RSC shipping container constructed from standard corrugated materials, but also having an additional element formed from a separate blank of a material suitable for displaying high-impact graphics. This would allow for the use of unopened shipping containers for displaying high-impact sales copy or advertising to customers in the retail environment.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are addressed in the accompanying drawings, specification and claims.